New bill targets visa applicants' social media

House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., announced Monday the committee will introduce legislation to strengthen the visa security process after the federal government admitted that it does not examine the social media accounts of immigrants.

"Terrorists have and will continue to exploit our legal immigration system in order to cause harm to Americans and threaten our way of life … we have a duty to strengthen the security of our immigration system so that we keep bad actors out of the United States," the Virginia Republican said in a statement.

The bill says open source information, such as social media content, must be considered as part of background checks for visa applicants, including those applying for the K-1 visa program. It also would require in-person interviews for the visa applicant and sponsor at each step in the process and the verification of employment and educational histories.